Loved Ones,
Hey folks! Surprise! I am going to have to be brief, but I want to let you all know that I'm alive and well. Why do the national holidays always fall on Mondays? It really throws things off. I wish I didn't have to be brief, because this week was an eventful one. A family began the rewarding journey on the straight and narrow path to the eternities. More to come on that.
I'm very glad that you guys had such a fun Memorial Day weekend. I'm trying to remember if our family camping tradition was observed on Memorial Day weekend in times past. I thought it was. Am I right, or is it another holiday weekend? I was thinking about that yesterday, and reflecting on the fond memories that were the result. How grateful I am for my family. I quite enjoyed my Memorial Day weekend! I had the opportunity to go to a wedding and then have an investigator be baptized! Ryanne and Felipe tied the knot
on Saturday. Weddings are always happy times, but there is even more reason to rejoice because of the special wedding it was. Ryanne and Felipe are very special, and being able to witness the beginning of their life together was a privilege indeed. But the wedding was really just a step towards Ryanne's baptism, which took place
on Sunday. A big step, yes, but the baptism was the event that really put everything into perspective. The pure love that it was my privilege to feel during the baptismal service is a memory and a source of strength that I will cherish. I have grown to love Ryanne and Felipe so much, and I am forever grateful that I was able to play my small part in their journey. I unflinchingly declare that the only way to be happy is to turn outward and love others. No pleasure or pursuit will ever outlive the pure love that comes from service and the Spirit. I was pushed to tears during the baptismal service. They were the kind of tears that I love to shed - tears of joy. Honestly, it was such a wonderful experience. I cannot adequately express the joy I felt, but I can invite you all to "come and see". No description will ever be sufficient, but experience compensates for the inadequacy of description. Seek out the pure things of life. I can think of no earthly thing more pure than the event I was able to witness
on Sunday. The pure things are the things that bring joy and experience beyond words. I love you all so much, and I hope that you are having a wealth of pure, joyful experiences. I really do want nothing but the most full and lasting happiness for each of you. The gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families. I knew it before, but I know it more now. My knowledge is perfect in this thing. Mom and Dad, thank you for sharing the gospel with me. Thank you for making it the center of our home. Thank you for your love and example. Once again, words cannot express my feelings. My gratitude is beyond expression, but I hope that my feeble words will make it to your hearts. Jacob, Jase, and Mia - I haven't forgotten about you. Thank you all so much for your love and your goodness. I cannot tell you how much strength I receive from your support. I hope that I can measure up to the task placed before me so that I can show my gratitude in deed. I promise each of you that I am going to do my best.
The events I was able to witness this past weekend were a culmination of a process. I have profusely expressed the joy I felt, and I feel I am justified in doing so. But sometimes the peak of the mountain can seem unreachable from the base. Sometimes we wonder how the truly pure and beautiful experiences of life can be a reality for us. The marriage of Ryanne and Felipe and Ryanne's baptism was the result of a lot of little things added together. I wish to point out that little things lead to big things. The Lord works by "small and simple means". Sometimes we want a grand experience or fulness of joy right away. But, as President Uchtdorf's wife taught us, life is not a race. It's a journey. I know that the little decisions we make every day matter. Every choice we make moves us either closer to God or otherwise. Every action has a consequence. The accumulation of little decisions, added together, determine our destinies. I just want to invite all of you and myself to take more thought for the little things that are important. The gospel blesses families, but only if we apply it, and the application of the gospel is a continual round of simple, powerful steps that will always bring happiness and peace. Always. This has been made much more clear to me lately. I know that life can be hard, and sometimes we feel stuck or even abandoned. We are never abandoned, and we're only ever as stuck as we choose to be. The path is clear. What you choose to do now will make a difference. I offer that as my testimony. There is a mountaintop for each of us if we choose to claim it. Please do so. As I said, I want nothing but happiness for all of you. I love you all heaps and bunches. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I absolutely can't say it enough. You are in my prayers, and I do so appreciate the ones you offer in my behalf.
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